Customer Reviews

Dusk (Noreela)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Dusk is probably one of the darkest, most disturbing fantasy tales that I have ever read. Tim Lebbon creates an extremely interesting, mysterious world (Noreela) that is full of insane people, creatures, and drugs.

Dusk follows the journey of Rafe Baburn, an innocent young farm boy who is being hunted by the Red Monks. The Red Monks were formed after the Cataclysmic War 300 years ago to make sure that the Mages could never get magic again. To ensure that, magic has been completely drained from the land, and the Monks are out to destroy anything that could possibly bring magic back for the Mages to take control of (this includes Rafe). After some gruesome encounters with the Red Monks, Rafe sets out with his band of supporters (a thief, a Shantasi warrior, a witch, a librarian, and a drugged-out fledge miner) to get away from the Monks and find some protection in Noreela.

While the plot of Dusk is really interesting and seemingly original, the book is hampered at many moments by Lebbon's writing style. Most great fantasy anthologies are great because not only are the stories good, but we also grow to love and root for the characters. That is basically impossible in Dusk because Lebbon is constantly switching the narration around from character to character, just so, it seems, he can get as many different angles on the story as possible. Since we never really get to know any character, I found myself completely uncaring when the battle came at the end of the book. Also, I was absolutely clueless as to what was actually happening to the main characters, and I think that Lebbon was pretty clueless too, considering he never gives any real descriptions of what is actually going on so the reader can have any visual in their own mind.

I am going to reserve final judgement on this novel until the sequel, Dawn, comes out next year. Because for all of the faults that this novel has, Lebbon definitely has created some interesting groups of people, just not interesting specific characters. Actually, the land of Noreela is one of the most interesting fantasy worlds that I think I have ever read. So I still believe that Lebbon can save this book if he focuses more on characters in Dawn, and actually gives the reader some information as to what is going on in the land of Noreela. But overall, I would say this is an OK fantasy debut for an author who has stuck to traditional horror in the past. Hopefully it goes upward from here.

What can I say? This book rocked!! It was brutal, violent, ugly, scary while at the same time being poetic, poignant and beautiful. I love the land that was created, Noreela. There are so many stories that could happen in this land!! I am glad to hear that Lebbon has a few more planned.
I cannot wait for Dawn to come out!

This is the second book that I have read by Lebbon. The first was Berserk. I liked that book but it really wasn't anything I hadn't seen before. The ending of Berserk did not surprise me either. Whatever you do, fight the temptation to read the ending of Dusk first. I was so shocked that I read the last page a couple times to be sure that I read it right. Wow!

This would make a simply awesome movie. Rated R of course. I think Peter Jackson could really do something with this.

When I began reading this book, I couldn't help draw parallels between this book and Stephen King's Dark Tower. You have the Post Apocalyptic world which is "running down", you have ancient machines that no longer work, you have the decline of civilization, plus the Quest. Boy was I wrong! This book is so dark that it makes King's Work appear downright cheerful. Where King sprinkles humor in his story, Lebbon sprinkles despair. I know that the Dark Tower has its dark moments but you always have a feeling that the good will probably win out in the end. This story...not so much!

Ignore the idiots who say that this book is boring. I was never bored! I purposely read the book slowly so I could absorb this strange world and get to know its occupants. These characters are absolutely magical. You start the story thinking that the Red Monks were bad... Well I don't want to ruin it. Read this book!

DUSK is usually the kind of book I would love. Dig the ideas, but the execution of it bored me after a while.

I don't get all the high marks it is recieving. To each his own, I suppose. I found it quite slow, with no clear-cut, much-needed descriptions. Way too vague for my tastes.

Not as good as Chris Golden.

This book had a great hook. Unfortunately, that's about all it had. After a great beginning, the plot meanders (the characters run around endlessly in the author's world with no aim other than trying not to die), and generally make themselves less and less sympathetic with each passing page. The internal logic of this world is incoherent and inconsistent (magic is gone from the land, yet magical things happen all the time), and things happen apparently to serve the author's whim. When the climax finally came, it was as if the author had finally hit his target word count or gotten tired of writing and pulled out the granddaddy of all deus ex machinas (none of the characters actuallY DO anything; they just get their butts saved by some nameless, faceless magic that's been waiting to return to the land).

This one's a real yawner.

I loved the characters, the intrigue, and especially the world Lebbon created. Until the mages came in with their utter insanity and in the very end the entire book proves to be pointless. I don't mind main characters dying, but this book seriously has problems.

It's not just the characters dying, either. I didn't buy the plotline. The mages have no power, and yet have control over shades. The land is somehow connected to magic, which has been nonexistent for three centuries, and yet only now has it decided to heave to the drastic extent in which it does. Creatures destroy various parts of the world (especially the mines), but don't really seem to have a purpose. Maybe this was supposed to be explained in later books, but the ending of "Dusk" ensured that I would not be reading the rest of the books.

The ending seemed tacked on to allow for another book, even though such a book was already possible. Instead, I was disgusted by the writing to the extent that I will never read another Lebbon novel again. One was bad enough. While the mages were insane, I had no idea that they were capable of what they did. And I didn't buy that by doing what they did they would gain magic.

This end is obviously written for shock value. His writing style is strong, but the execution of this book was bad and sometimes in very poor taste. The whole reading experienced was ruined by the ending, especially the graphic detail of it. The prospect of a sequel already has me retching.

Mr. Lebbon's world is certainly fantastical and intriguing. He describes many of the places in detail, so one can picture the setting; often he touches on all five senses. I think his world-building is one of the strongest aspects of the story--it's lovingly detailed and exotic at times. It feels like a genuinely "other world". It was a character in and of itself.

Description is a strong point--at times. While much of the violence is graphic and gory to the extreme, at times I couldn't figure out what he was describing when it came to the machines, the Nax, the hawks, etc. There is lots of atmospheric language, but the details--as many as there were--were often too vague to allow me a clear picture. Perhaps the characters can identify the various wildlife, but I found it difficult to grasp exactly what they looked like. Mr. Lebbon can describe the carnage of battle enough I could visualize it (not like it takes much imagination, lol), but the fauna was the opposite extreme.

He uses similes with the frequency many people use the word 'like' in daily conversation--way too much. Quite a few of his comparisons are fresh and interesting, but after about the fifth 'like' simile in one chapter, they got on my nerves. Like a lot of literary devices, moderation is key. He gluts the text with so many 'like' comparisons, they eventually got strained. I don't see why a few simple, clear descriptives would hurt rather than comparing everything to something else.

The plot includes the typical 'chosen one' syndrome (along with "ancient evil" returning for revenge and conquest; why the mages are so messed up and evil has yet to be explained--perhaps the whole 'power corrupts' idea, although that doesn't seem to apply to the protagonists). And worse than that... it's a farm boy. I found it tedious enough that it included a chosen one who is naive, innocent, with untapped, unlearned power inside him, but a farm boy? *wince*

The rest of the "hero" cast includes a wise mentor witch, a thief, a warrior woman, another naive, innocent young person (a female librarian in this case), a drugged out miner and some horses. (At least the races are human; no elves or dwarves or halflings, etc.)

I found it hard to care or sympathize with any of them. While admittedly Kosar and Hope were the best developed, neither of them really appealed to me or won my sympathy. I couldn't care less what happened to Rafe (so while the ending did have shock value--perhaps because of the whole cannibalism aspect--I didn't feel anything and it was a relief, in truth), or the rest of them.

The only character I found intriguing and sympathetic was the insane Red Monk Lucien. :P He was a lot of fun. I'd have preferred the Red Monks to win. Their cause was understandable and articulated.

The writing is overall decent (except for the overuse of similes, occasionally stilted description and dialogue), but Mr. Lebbon has a tendency to have scenes that are pure exposition, explaining everything and revealing back-story. His writing is engaging enough, and the sections not _too_ long, that these are manageable. Most sections deal with something of interest (the Red Monks, for example), and general relevance to the plot and conflict, which also helps.

I wouldn't have minded the standard plot so much if more of the characters had been worth caring about. Then again, I've finished books for a minor character or villain before, so this isn't an exception. Once I got to Lucien's section, I finished the book to find out what happened to him.

A dark, violent fantasy, it has a strong world, good atmosphere and some engaging writing, but weak characters and plot. It's worth checking out for the world-building.

~Merc

I read Lebbon's Berserk. Hated the story but I liked his writing enough that when I saw this on the rack I decided to give him another chance.

He is an excellent writer and knows how to tell a story. This is definitely an adult fantasy. The world he constructs is indeed dark and grim. Even the "good guys" are hard to like. One thing I didn't like at all was the introduction of "machines" into the story. Sorry, but I am a purest. I like my fantasy to be fantasy and my science fiction to be science fiction. I don't like to see my magic and science mixed. I also found the back story to be somewhat confusing and had difficulty sorting out the Red Monks versus the Mages versus the Noreelans versus the heroes. Also be warned that this is the first in a series since this book ends abruptly without any resolution. The central characters are left hanging in midair, literally.

Well I really liked the cover. That is what made me purchase the book in the first place. I also like the author's attempt at being somewhat original. The promise of adult fantasy doesn't really hold up. Having some gory scenes and telling some of the story from the bad guy's point of view really doesn't make it all that dark. The writing is good, but not above average. The story tries hard, but the characters just aren't fleshed out enough and most of the book seems to be a setup for the next. I have liked Lebbon's horror a little more than his first attempt at fantasy. I'm on the fence with this one.

Dusk is good in some respects, and bad in others, but overall I enjoyed it. Some people object that it's not scary, but it's not meant to be; Dusk is not a horror novel, it's dark fantasy. It doesn't have to be scary to qualify as dark fantasy, as long as it has "dark" elements, like an unhappy feel to it, and it definitely does.

This book excels in 2 areas: language and setting. By 'language' I am referring to the author's writing level, which is clearly advanced even by professional standards. Simply put, Tim Lebbon pretty much bends language to his wish. By 'setting' I am referring to the world he has created (Noreela). It is truly a fine accomplishment, because it conveys so many different feelings. It is beautiful, but horrid at the same time, and it feels real, but surreal at the same time. You can't really tell if it's a historic or futuristic world, but you want to learn about it, it's that well crafted. And finally you can explore a fantasy world without "dark elves" or dragons, but some cliche fantasy elements like sorcery and giant hawks are present nonetheless.

The bad thing about the book is that it feels like it was more an attempt by the author to show off his impressive writing skills than a true epic. And that's frustrating, because the setting is perfect for a great story to unfold. Not that this is a bad story, but it was sometimes frustrating to follow. Similes tend to be overdone, as well as excessive descriptions that somehow still manage to form merely vague images in my head. For example, there is much written about the "machines" and they are very meticulously described, yet I failed to form a complete image of even a single machine. So it really did feel like a display of writing capability rather than an intriguing description.

Still, the plot was full of adventure, and overall I wasn't disappointed in buying this book. I will be reading the sequels also, but I do hope Tim Lebbon will spend more time on creating deeper interaction between the characters in upcoming books. So the bottom line is, if you are interested in dark fantasy, you should certainly at least give this book a try.

I hate to give tough love to a writer that I count as an Amazon friend, but...

Dusk is the second of Lebbon's books I've reviewed here, after his psuedo-zombie novel Berserk. And, as with that book (and truthfully, everything else Mr. Lebbon has written), after finishing Dusk, I'm completely and absolutely underwhelmed.

Judging by the number of negative reviews here, I'm not alone.

And that's too frickin' bad. Because there's so many fans starving for this type of dark fiction, and there are so few authors willing to venture into the bizarre and brutal side of fantasy. Unfortunately, Lebbon tries hard to build his own magical world, to follow in the footsteps of folks like Karl Edward Wagner and the greats like Howard and Lovecraft, but he just doesn't have the juice or the writing chops to pull it off. Lebbon falls back on hackwork, mistakenly substituting gory images, bland, stereotypical characters, and pages on pages of dull exposition for a solid, believable story. Instead of writing from his gut and telling a action-packed, in-your-face yarn, like the best of Wagner and Howard, we're stuck with a novel that relies on shock value to carry his vaguely blurry vision of the world of Noreela.

And the real truth? Dark fantasy can be many things. But it should never, ever be dull. And that's the real killer here. Dusk is flat out boring as all hell.

They say never to judge a book by it's cover. Ain't it the truth. Because the cover of Dusk is fantastic; as close to anything I've seen since I discovered my first Conan and Kane paperbacks with the Frazetta covers. The brutal, blood-gushing tales of magic and mayhem I devoured late at night when I was a twelve-year old kid, hiding under the sheets of my bed reading with a flashlight until the batteries died, turning page after violent page. The cover of Dusk invites a promise, a comparison with the old Weird Tales pulps, and it just doesn't deliver.

Sorry Tim.